Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis

In Franz Kafka’s novella, The Metamorphosis, the main character, Gregor Samsa, turns in a “monstrous vermin” and becomes isolated from his family (Kafka 1). The reason for the transformation is unclear, but his strange predicament can be used as a microcosm to the early twentieth century. The dismal mood and setting, dehumanization and paranoia, and competition for power depicted throughout the novella suggest that the early twentieth century was dreary and routine.

The uninviting mood and setting of the novella contribute to the connection to the dreary and routine of the twentieth century. The story begins on a foggy and rainy morning, as Kafka wrote, “Gregor’s eyes then turned to the window, and the overcast weather…completely depressed him” which contrasts with the end of the novella when the family “took the trolley into the open country on the outskirts of the city. The car… was completely filled with warm sunshine” (4, 55). This contrast suggests that being in the city is despondent because once they leave the city the sun comes out and everything is great. The urgent mood of the city is depicted through the visuals of the alarm clock and train schedules. Alarm clocks and schedules are universally known to cause stress. One second a person is in a deep sleep then the next they awoken by a loud obnoxious beeping. The train schedule cause stress because of the monumental consequences of missing it. When Gregor realized that he slept late and is contemplating catching the next train, he thought to himself that “he would have to hurry like a madman, and the line of samples wasn’t packed yet...And even if he did make the train, he could not avoid getting it from the boss” (5). The use of the polysyndeton, the rep...

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...red that he wears the uniform all the time, causing it to become soiled. This causes Mr. Samsa to turn into a “disgusting being” which essentially reflects the state that Gregor is in emphasizing that when a person is given power they will not use it correctly causing them to become nothing. This reflects the modern city because people are starting large businesses with lots of power, but they are bound to have a down fall.

The depressing mood and setting, dehumanization and paranoia, and competition for power highlighted throughout The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, depict the image of the modern city. The novella can be used as a microcosm to relate to the modern city, which was being developed during the time this was written. Kafka uses the setting, mood, and character relationships in this fiction story to demonstrate the actions of the real world.